2012-13 College basketball season at a glance

Potential national player of the year Cody Zeller is a big reason Indiana is No. 1 in the Associated Press preseason poll. ANDY LYONS, GETTY IMAGES

Is another team really ready to challenge Duke and North Carolina's dominance atop the Atlantic Coast Conference? Which controversial announcer is ESPN wisely protecting? And who is Josh Thompson and why is he dunking over his parents?

Here's a national look at the upcoming college basketball season, including 25 things to know about college basketball, top players and teams to watch and a prediction for the NCAA Tournament field.

25 THINGS TO PONDER

1: Steven Adams, a center for Pittsburgh, is the Big East's preseason freshman of the year. The seven-footer out of New Zealand is a mystery to many of the league's insiders. "I'll be tuned into Pitt's early-season games when they're on TV because I want to get a look at this guy," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. "Whenever you have a guy who wasn't on the recruiting circuit, you kind of want to tune in ... And, if he's really good, you lose sleep. Or have a drink. One or the other."

2: Adams is one of 18 children. He had to give up rugby because "I was this tall, lanky kid and I'd get smashed."

3: Indiana returns all five starters and is the Associated Press preseason No. 1 for just the third time. The first time was in 1975-76, which was Bobby Knight's fifth season in Bloomington and when the Hoosiers became the last team to go undefeated (32-0). This is Tom Crean's fifth season as IU head coach.

4: There are three Big Ten teams ranked in the Top 5. Indiana is first, Ohio State is fourth, Michigan is fifth. Clearly, this isn't football.

5: Atlanta is the site of this year's Final Four, with the regionals being held in Washington, Indianapolis, Arlington (Texas) and Los Angeles.

6: Arizona State freshman Jahii Carson supposedly dunked a basketball when he was 13 years old and 5-3. Carson is considered the best ASU player since James Harden.

7: North Carolina State has been picked to win its first ACC regular-season crown since 1989. "It's new territory for our team," Coach Mark Gottfried said. "This is uncharted waters and we have to learn how to accept that responsibility." The Wolfpack has lost 10 consecutive combined meetings with conference heavyweights Duke and North Carolina.

8. Former Connecticut player and assistant Kevin Ollie has taken over for Jim Calhoun at UConn, which is ineligible for postseason play because of the program's poor academic performance. One of Ollie's assistants is former Penn coach Glen Miller.

9. Tulsa visits SMU on Jan. 6 in an interesting battle of new head coaches. Tulsa is led by Danny Manning. SMU is Larry Brown's latest stop. Brown was the coach and Manning the star when Kansas won the 1988 NCAA Tournament as a sixth seed.

10. An alleged cheating scandal has cost Harvard its best two returning players and the top spot in the conference's preseason poll. "I may have to do more leading than normal," Harvard coach Tommy Amaker acknowledged. Princeton is first, Harvard second, Penn fifth.

11. LSU's new coach is Johnny Jones, who was the lead recruiter when the Tigers landed Shaquille O'Neal more than 20 years ago. Jones had been at North Texas.

12. Michigan, which lost to Ohio U. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year, returns sniper Trey Burke. The Wolves also brought in five freshmen, including Mitch McGary, who is wearing Chris Webber's No. 4. "People call us the next Fab Five," said Glenn Robinson III (Big Dog's son). "The Fresh Five, I've (also) heard that a lot."

13. Point guard Korie Lucious, who played 92 games at Michigan State before getting thrown off the team for "conduct detrimental," now is at Iowa State. Lucious is best known for hitting a buzzer-beating three against Maryland to send Sparty to the 2010 Sweet 16.

14. Senior center Derrick Nix was an interesting choice to be a Michigan State co-captain. Nix almost was kicked off the team after an April arrest for impaired driving, but served 24 hours of community service and attended a counseling program specifically for marijuana users. "I've got no more room for errors," Nix said. "I could easily be back at home, on the streets, doing whatever ... but (Coach Tom Izzo) fought for me." Without discussing specifics, Izzo said he made Nix' life miserable during the summer and was satisfied with how the kid responded.

15. Might want to avoid walking next to Marquette's Chris Otule, a fifth-year senior. He was born with vision in only one eye and during his college career broke his left foot as a freshman, his right foot as a sophomore and tore an ACL last year.

16. ESPN will not schedule analyst Bobby Knight to work games at Rupp Arena, but could have him do Kentucky games on the road and at neutral sites. Knight has been a harsh critic of Wildcats coach John Calipari, who recruits and encourages top players to stay only for a year or two before heading into the NBA.

17. Rhode Island and Duquesne were picked 15th and 16th in the Atlantic 10. Those teams are coached by new hires Danny Hurley and Jim Ferry, respectively. Hurley and Ferry came from Wagner and LIU-Brooklyn where, ironically, they were chosen 1-2 in last season's Northeast Conference preseason poll. "Looks the same as last year," Hurley quipped, "if you just hold the paper upside down."

18. This season can't start soon enough for Murray State's Isaiah Canaan, arguably the best point guard in the nation. Canaan shot just 4-for-17 in an NCAA Tournament loss to Marquette and spent the summer attending camps directed by LeBron James, Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.